This page contains a Flash digital edition of a book.
ABOVE: SMS New York train NE-1 passes the classic Delaware & Hudson station at Alta- mont with its B23-7s and a string of autoracks on February 26, 2012. RIGHT: SNY train EX-1 is the Northeast Industrial Park Switch- er and utilizes SMS SW1200RS No. 1337 on January 30, 2012.


the current Acela logo gray and blue scheme. Amtrak’s anniversary in 2011 brought a very small series of heritage locomotives to reflect schemes of the carrier’s 40 years of existence, and for- tunately most of them have made their way through the capital district. If Am- trak is a part of the equation that you’d like to see, visit www.amtrak.com to view current schedules and get the lat- est service updates.


Albany Port Railroad The Albany Port Railroad (APD) is


the true pioneer short line railroad of the Capital District. Formed in 1975 to serve customers in the Port of Albany, today it is under joint ownership of both Canadian Pacific and CSX. The railroad has a pair of SW9 EMD switchers (Nos. 12 and 13) that work during daylight weekday hours. The railroad has a cluster of tracks that spread from their yard, which parallels the south end of CP’s Kenwood Yard. APD is only active in the general Port district, although it does own the for- mer D&H Cabbage Island Branch, which is long defunct all the way down to Glenmont.


32 OCTOBER 2012 • RAILFAN.COM


While South Port Road provides ac-


cess to Smith Boulevard and is all pub- lic access, every step you take off of the public roads puts you on private prop- erty. Checking in at the office, I was po- litely told to stay off everyone’s proper- ty, do not distract the train crew, be respectful of the heavy truck traffic that traverses the Port, and enjoy. I found it was imperative to show up at 7:00 a.m. at the latest to see the job working the customers. They do switch warehouses, molasses tanks, Hudson River Asphalt, Cargill Grain (which has its own remote-controlled switch- er), and miscellaneous aggregate cus- tomers. They do often switch the wa- terfront, which although all fenced off does have some access. My experience has been the railroad will switch for at


least two hours and then sit idle for quite awhile. Work does continue through afternoon hours but I’ve found first thing in the morning offered the most successful opportunties.


SMS Railroad The SMS Railroad is the latest play-


er to hit the scene of the Capital Dis- trict. SMS New York operations are un- der the reporting marks of SNY and consist of switching in the Northeast- ern Industrial Park (formerly the Voorheesville Army Depot) located in Guilderland Center. The SNY also has the western half of the former CP Al- bany Main between Voorheesville (con- nection with CSX Selkirk Subdivision) and Delanson (connection with CP Freight Subdivision at CPF-499). As of


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70